Before the announcement, army commander General Prayuth Chan-ocha listed the junta's “achievements” on national television, including the seizure of weapons and reconciliation meetings among rival political camps.

“There are still many problems left,” he said. “Please give us time to deal with these problems.”

Civil servants have been told that a temporary constitution would be drafted and an interim government installed in about three months.

General Prayuth has said it could take more than a year after that for elections to be held because peace and reforms must be achieved first in the deeply divided country.

“A government will likely be set up in August or early September,” he added. “When ... we have a government, we will move forward. Then the reform council can begin.”

In the months leading up to the coup, Bangkok had been the scene of anti-government protests and political unrest that left at least 28 people dead and the government paralysed.

The government had been elected by a majority of voters three years ago but the army justified the coup as necessary to restore order.

Tourists are limp, leaderless and distinctly UnAustralian

Andrew Grice: Inside Westminster

Blairites be warned, this could be the moment Labour turns into Syriza

The mystery of Britain's worst naval disaster is finally solved - 271 years later

Exclusive: David Keys reveals the research that finally explains why HMS Victory went down with the loss of 1,100 lives

'I saw people so injured you couldn't tell if they were dead or alive'

Nagasaki survivors on why Japan must not abandon its post-war pacifism

The voter Obama tried hardest to keep onside

Outgoing The Daily Show host, Jon Stewart, became the voice of Democrats who felt the President had failed to deliver on his ‘Yes We Can’ slogan. Tim Walker charts the ups and downs of their 10-year relationship on screen